Hello Everyone!

My 14 Forester premium has 90k on it and it's definitely time for new suspension. I thought I was all set and was just about to order Billstein B6 struts and King springs.... Then I started reading that's a bad combination and not recommended.  What is everyone running and are you happy with it?

I am a spirited driver on asphalt and gravel. The car sees rocks, snow, ice, mud and everything in between. The car is also frequently loaded and tows periodically.

New Subaru struts and new springs. You were fine with them for 90k.  Do it again.

Most of us run KYB and the original springs. KYB is the original supplier and far less issues and glitches than other brands.

But if you want top shelf and tow a lot subaru and new springs makes some sense. 

Im not into performance suspension. The options have been limited for Subarus for years and results vary too wildly for me to keep tabs on. So you might want some other opinions. 

yup, KYB and OE springs here, too.

unless you have a specific need not addressed by the stock suspension - like towing a lot - no need to go crazy

3 hours ago, heartless said:

yup, KYB and OE springs here, too.

unless you have a specific need not addressed by the stock suspension - like towing a lot - no need to go crazy

Makes sense. I was trying to reduce body roll and say a little, but it seems like the aftermarket stuff just isn't well designed right now.

3 hours ago, idosubaru said:

New Subaru struts and new springs. You were fine with them for 90k.  Do it again.

Most of us run KYB and the original springs. KYB is the original supplier and far less issues and glitches than other brands.

But if you want top shelf and tow a lot subaru and new springs makes some sense. 

Im not into performance suspension. The options have been limited for Subarus for years and results vary too wildly for me to keep tabs on. So you might want some other opinions. 

That's kind of what I was reading when I started researching more. Thank you for your input!

9 hours ago, Daskuppler said:

Makes sense. I was trying to reduce body roll and say a little, but it seems like the aftermarket stuff just isn't well designed right now.

body roll/sway can be better addressed with better bushings and sway bar links...

but again.. not a lot of aftermarket support for these cars, so doing some homework is a necessity.. what works, what doesnt.

Also, the Forester is a little taller, so slightly high center of gravity .. not really conducive to reducing body roll, lol. I do get it tho.. after driving Legacy wagons for years, i got my first Forester and was like, wow.. this is WAY different than I am used to. Used to throw the Legacy's around curves at a pretty good clip.. cant do that with the Foz.. too much roll/sway

 

1 hour ago, heartless said:

body roll/sway can be better addressed with better bushings and sway bar links...

but again.. not a lot of aftermarket support for these cars, so doing some homework is a necessity.. what works, what doesnt.

Also, the Forester is a little taller, so slightly high center of gravity .. not really conducive to reducing body roll, lol. I do get it tho.. after driving Legacy wagons for years, i got my first Forester and was like, wow.. this is WAY different than I am used to. Used to throw the Legacy's around curves at a pretty good clip.. cant do that with the Foz.. too much roll/sway

 

This car replaced a 2000 Legacy and I drive an Impreza.  It was big change going from the 4EAT to the CVT and the ride height.  It's been a great vehicle, it is just time for new struts so I thought I would see if there were any upgrades that were worth spending money on.  I have had good experiences with KYB in the past and it looks like that's still the rout to go since there are a lot of complaints about the Billsteins, even the B4s.  There is no expectation for it to perform like the legacy, though it does pretty good with good rubber on it.  I'll look into some new sway bar links and see if there is any support for alternative suspension.

control arm bushings used to be a little bit of an issue.. maybe take a good look at those, too...

but yeah.. the Forester, for its size, and shape, is still a Subaru after all. lol I like the added ride height... a little easier for me to get in & out of with back problems.. and visibility is pretty good, too... but yeah, handling characteristics are quite different from the Legacy.

Just upgraded slightly from an 02 to an 04 here..   quite happy with the "new" one so far.

I've only heard good things about the Bilstein's. I've been tempted to experiment on retrofitting them onto one of my older platforms. I've not heard anything negative about running them with King springs, Primitive racing recommends that combination and offers them assembled that way: https://get-primitive.com/struts/686-bilstein-b6-struts-2014-2018-forester.html

When I was looking, I thought the Kings were likely stiffer than I wanted, so I went with RalliTek. Who I see also recommend and sell assembled on Bilsteins. https://www.rallitek.com/en/750-assembled-strut-kits

Edited November 1, 20214 yr by Numbchux

For everyone's reference, here is Bilstein's response:  'Our B6 dampers are intended for the OEM spring, the dampening profile would not be optimal for a 20-30% increase nor will the travel of the dampers be optimal for a lift spring, this will keep the dampers at the top of their travel and will cause premature topping out."

 

So despite Primitive and Rallitek offering stiffer springs as a package, they are not compatible and not recommended for use with B6 dampers.

Edited November 1, 20214 yr by Daskuppler

That says not to use a lift spring. The springs I see are stiffer but at stock height.

It also says not to use springs which are 20-30 % stiffer which would be the king springs

You are modifying the vehicle, you're going to get that.

If you want every manufacturer of every part on your vehicle to be happy, only use OEM, do not carry any weight and do not leave the pavement.

 

 

I'd run the Bilstein's and Rallitek springs. 

slightly stiffer springs on KYB could be a good option, less body sway and less squat and dive. I have SPT 'pinks' on my WRX, love it. But you would likely need something different for off-road/soft-road use.....

you can do a lot of different things and I applaud you for researching it first. The folks here have a lot of experience.